Alien: Romulus

[Winter]

TRIGGER WARNING: RAPE

The 9th film in the Alien Franchise which is clearly revisiting the roots of the series to make a film more like the first film, a survival horror movie instead of an action/horror film or a suspense thriller. So far so good, and directed by Fede Álvarez... okay, now I'm worried.

Álvarez is a filmmaker I have rather interesting relationship with, he has made, objectively speaking, several good films, that are well directed and acted... and loaded with unlikable, self-centered, idiots that leaves me with exactly zero people to get invested in. As of right now only 2 films he's made has had character I in anyway shape or form like, that being the main protagonist from Evil Dead and Phoenix from Don't Breath 2, other then that, I either hate or don't care about every single character this guy has ever made.

It doesn't help that he often falls back on the "Rape as Drama" trope which AR will apparently be falling back into as well given some of the imagery which includes trying... I can't believe he did this... make a rapist the protagonist of one of his movies... Go! To! HELL!!!

So, for those of you haven't seen Don't Breath or Don't Breath 2, yeah, the blind man is a rapist. No I don't give a shit about the excuse the movies try to through use, he kidnaps a young woman, gets her pregnant and holds her captive until she gives birth to his child and then he tries to do the same for a second time. And the sequel tries to make him the hero in the next movie and introduces new villains which the movie tries to make out as worse then the Blind Man and keeps glossing over the fact that he is a rapist.

I've often gotten mad at other medias for creative choices they've made like The Last Jedi, or Spider-Man: One More Day, or Mass Effect 3 but at the end of the day they are just making a story choice that I personally didn't care for and in the end the rest of the series is strong enough for me to overlook it. Álvarez seems to be someone who's actively going out of his way to make me hate his works solely on principle because he's one of the few idiots who try to make a rapist the hero of the story.

The reason for this rant is because the upcoming Alien film seems to be leaning into a lot of Álvarez's awful creative choices, most notably the fact that the sexual element of the Aliens will be focused on a lot more this time with imagery making it clear what it's trying to say.

And onto the other issues that I'm 99.99% certain are going to happen, the characters in this film are going to be idiotic, unlikable jerks who are all deserving of the terrible fate that's coming to them and the reason I'm so certain that's the case is because THAT DESCRIBES ALL OF HIS FILMS!!!

So, yeah, count me out of this one. Anyone here who is interested in it and goes to see I hope you enjoy it and I hope that I'm wrong and if I tell me and might even consider going to see it. Until then I would rather watch Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace again... which I am going to do because it's returning to theaters this. Sign me up I'd rather watch a movie with corny dialogue and wooden acting then EVER watch any of Álvarez's other films. Hell I'll happily re-watch The Last Jedi again.

[Deledrius]

Álvarez is a filmmaker I have rather interesting relationship with, he has made, objectively speaking, several good films, that are well directed and acted... and loaded with unlikable, self-centered, idiots that leaves me with exactly zero people to get invested in.

And onto the other issues that I'm 99.99% certain are going to happen, the characters in this film are going to be idiotic, unlikable jerks who are all deserving of the terrible fate that's coming to them and the reason I'm so certain that's the case is because THAT DESCRIBES ALL OF HIS FILMS!!!

Everything else aside (which sounds like a very good reason to skip this one), these things sound like he is a perfect director to follow-up the Prometheus trilogy. The first two were hateful, dire, ignorant films.

[McAvoy]

Yeah Don't Breath and it's sequel is all kinds of fucked up.

[J!!]

Wait, it's actually called Alien: Romulus?

I assumed this thread was about some crossover fanfic.



Then again, glorified fanfic is basically what the series has devolved into since resurection.

[stryke]

Then again, glorified fanfic is basically what the series has devolved into since resurection.

Hey, fanfic can occasionally be good, not often sure, but sometimes, the Alien franchise since 3 well not so much.

It still aggravates me what they did to AvP. The book was right there, and could easily have translated into a great movie. Even more importantly it had a character who could have been just as good as Ripley to take the franchise to new heights, and I do not say that lightly. What makes it worse is that I know someone involved with the film read it as they lift a critical moment from the book and completely waste it without all the context of how it was actually earned, and so they ignored everything else to do what they did is just such a bloody shame.

[hammerofglass]

Then again, glorified fanfic is basically what the series has devolved into since resurection.

Hey, fanfic can occasionally be good, not often sure, but sometimes, the Alien franchise since 3 well not so much.

It still aggravates me what they did to AvP. The book was right there, and could easily have translated into a great movie. Even more importantly it had a character who could have been just as good as Ripley to take the franchise to new heights, and I do not say that lightly. What makes it worse is that I know someone involved with the film read it as they lift a critical moment from the book and completely waste it without all the context of how it was actually earned, and so they ignored everything else to do what they did is just such a bloody shame.

Books, comics, a couple videogames... it was a whole franchise of it's own. Damn shame.

[clearspira]

Every Alien film beyond 3 has been solid crap and 3 wasn't that good. Better than people make out though imo. Killing off Newt and Hicks was such a terrible idea. But it had good moments.

As Terminator proves, never let Cameron work on more than one sequel to a Cameron movie. Trust me, if we get these multiple Avatar films that we've been promised, they will not keep breaking a billion.

[Deledrius]

Every Alien film beyond 3 has been solid crap and 3 wasn't that good. Better than people make out though imo. Killing off Newt and Hicks was such a terrible idea. But it had good moments.

I think that's the key point for 3. No matter how good it could have been, killing off two of the three characters made it an Obligatory Hollywood Sequel instead of a continuation of the story that they'd built up over the previous two. It existed solely to be a story where Ripley fights Xenos in a new situation, and that mistake casts a long shadow.

[Winter]

Every Alien film beyond 3 has been solid crap and 3 wasn't that good. Better than people make out though imo. Killing off Newt and Hicks was such a terrible idea. But it had good moments.

I think that's the key point for 3. No matter how good it could have been, killing off two of the three characters made it an Obligatory Hollywood Sequel instead of a continuation of the story that they'd built up over the previous two. It existed solely to be a story where Ripley fights Xenos in a new situation, and that mistake casts a long shadow.

I still argue that the first Alien vs. Predator movie isn't that bad and is kinda underrated. I honestly see it as the 3rd best Alien and Predator (mind with Alien that's not much of a contest) with an overall likeable cast of characters, one of the best Predators in Scar and easily one of the best third acts of either franchise.

I LOVE how much of the last 3rd of the film is done with little to no dialogue and how the characters have to deal with the queen by doing what they can with what they have.

And also, let's be honest, best romantic couple in either Alien or Predator with Scar and Lex. Beauty and the Beast IN SPAAAACCCCEEEEE!!!

Hell this is a really good film to go to for an example balancing CGI with Practical Effects as they use the PE whenever possible and only fall back in CGI when the puppets can't do what is demanded of them. I mean they actually made a full size Queen Alien Animatronic when they could have just used a CGI one throughout the film and I can't help but admire the filmmakers dedication to give us such an affect that, frankly, looks better then the Queen from Aliens.

Is it as good as the comics? No. Is it one of the worst films in either series. Hell No!

It's nowhere near as convoluted as Alien: Resurrection, lacks the insane stupidity of either cast of Prometheus and Alien: Covenant, and has zero of Alien 3's "Burn the Franchise and Run" mentality. Sure Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem is god awful (though it still has the best Predator in the series in Wolf) but that's not the first film's fault anymore the Aliens is to blame for the bad choices of failings of other Alien films.

[McAvoy]

Every Alien film beyond 3 has been solid crap and 3 wasn't that good. Better than people make out though imo. Killing off Newt and Hicks was such a terrible idea. But it had good moments.

I think that's the key point for 3. No matter how good it could have been, killing off two of the three characters made it an Obligatory Hollywood Sequel instead of a continuation of the story that they'd built up over the previous two. It existed solely to be a story where Ripley fights Xenos in a new situation, and that mistake casts a long shadow.

I still argue that the first Alien vs. Predator movie isn't that bad and is kinda underrated. I honestly see it as the 3rd best Alien and Predator (mind with Alien that's not much of a contest) with an overall likeable cast of characters, one of the best Predators in Scar and easily one of the best third acts of either franchise.

I LOVE how much of the last 3rd of the film is done with little to no dialogue and how the characters have to deal with the queen by doing what they can with what they have.

And also, let's be honest, best romantic couple in either Alien or Predator with Scar and Lex. Beauty and the Beast IN SPAAAACCCCEEEEE!!!

Hell this is a really good film to go to for an example balancing CGI with Practical Effects as they use the PE whenever possible and only fall back in CGI when the puppets can't do what is demanded of them. I mean they actually made a full size Queen Alien Animatronic when they could have just used a CGI one throughout the film and I can't help but admire the filmmakers dedication to give us such an affect that, frankly, looks better then the Queen from Aliens.

Is it as good as the comics? No. Is it one of the worst films in either series. Hell No!

It's nowhere near as convoluted as Alien: Resurrection, lacks the insane stupidity of either cast of Prometheus and Alien: Covenant, and has zero of Alien 3's "Burn the Franchise and Run" mentality. Sure Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem is god awful (though it still has the best Predator in the series in Wolf) but that's not the first film's fault anymore the Aliens is to blame for the bad choices of failings of other Alien films.

I actually like the first Alien vs. Predator myself. I kinda place it around Alien Resurrection and Alien 3 tied for third best.

Don't get me started with the past two Alien movies. So confused on what they were trying with those.